But the thought of how much harder Barkley was going to be kept me going.
“It was hard to stay motivated on those reps in the dark, with wind and hail blowing horizontally into my face. “On one morning, this involved 22 ascents of Castlelaw (a hill in the Pentlands), accumulating 5,500m (18,000ft) ascent in 7 hours. “Wanting to get maximum ascent but being unable to run anywhere exposed (due to the risk of being blown away), has forced me into doing hill reps up and down the safest stretches of hillside. “I’ve done almost all my training in the early morning (my longest weekend runs started at 4am, to be done before lunchtime), and many of those weekend sessions have taken place in winter storms. “In some ways, the weather we’ve had in the last two months has been quite helpful,” Paris joked when discussing how she has prepared for the race.
Taking on a challenge as daunting at the Barkley Marathons certainly requires a unique training schedule, and Paris explained what lengths she has gone to give herself the best possible chance of completing the course. “I heard mentioned that 9 hours 30 mins is the longest the first lap should take if one wants to stand a chance of finishing, so I guess I’m aiming for that.” “I’ve certainly made use of the many blogs and documentaries/films/videos available from previous participants including Nicky, and the books that have been published about the race. Alongside the treacherous nature of the course, runners also have a time-limit to compete against – the full five laps must be completed with 60 hours (12 hours per lap) – another aspect of the race Paris has had to prepare for:
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